Jiang Qing

Jiang Qing (19 March 1914-14 May 1991) was the spouse of Mao Zedong, the communist ruler of China. A former actress, Jiang Qing exerted a great amount of decision over her husband in policy-making, and, as one of the "Gang of Four", she played a key role in propagating the "Cultural Revolution" of the 1970s. After the Gang's purge, she was sentenced to death, but this was commuted to life imprisonment, and she committed suicide in 1991 after she was diagnosed with cancer.

Biography
Jiang Qing was born in Zhucheng, Shandong, China in 1914, and she worked as an actress under the name "Lan Ping" during the 1930s. In November 1938, she married Communist Party of China leader Mao Zedong, becoming his fourth wife. She also served as his personal secretary, and she was the inaugural First Lady of the People's Republic of China. During the 1950s, Jiang headed the party's film propaganda department, and she became an important government emissary during the Cultural Revolution. She collaborated with Lin Biao to further Mao's communist ideology,and she held significant influence in the affairs of state, particularly in culture and the arts. In 1969, she gained a seat in the Politburo, and she became one of the ruling "Gang of Four". This gang exercised a large degree of control in decision-making, expelling rival party leaders such as Deng Xiaoping and ruling the country as an oligarchy. After Mao's death in 1976, however, the Gang of Four was targeted by its victims, with Hua Guofeng having the Gang arrested. Jiang was sentenced to death, later commuted to life imprisonment. After being released for medical treatment, she committed suicide in 1991.